Vulnerable man's family told he died from heart attack but body was covered in bruises

Derrick Carr, 51, who died at a supported housing unit in Fishponds in March 2017

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Police are investigating ‘safeguarding issues’ surrounding the death of a vulnerable 51-year-old who died at a supported housing unit in Fishponds - after his family told how they saw his body was covered in cuts and bruises.

Detectives confirmed they were looking into the death of Derrick Carr, after his family went on the radio to say they were unhappy with the official account of the death of their son and brother.

Mr Carr was found dead in his room at a supported living accommodation house run by the housing association Maples in Fishponds on the morning of Monday, March 20.

Police did not inform his mother of his death until that evening, and the family were told he had died of a heart attack.

But when they went to view his body the next day, they were shocked to discover it was covered in bruises and cuts, so much to the extent they believed he had been badly beaten before his death.

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This week, a post-mortem examination confirmed a heart attack as the cause of death, and initially the police said his death was not being treated as suspicious, and they had passed the case on to the Avon Coroner.

The family were interviewed earlier this week on the One Love Breakfast programme, a joint broadcast by BCfm radio and Ujima98FM, and expressed their concerns over what they had found and their frustrations with the police and the authorities.

They said they had already made complaints to Maples that Mr Carr was being bullied, threatened and pressured into handing over cash to other people at the property, and they called for a full investigation into what happened in the hours and days before his death.

“They said that my brother died of a heart attack,” Mr Carr’s sister Anne-Marie told One Love Breakfast. “We knew as a family that my brother never suffered any heart pains.

“Derrick was fit and healthy and he never complained of any chest pains or anything.”

The family went to view Derrick’s body the following day, the Tuesday, and were shocked at what they found.

“Derrick had injuries to his head, eyes, face… his nose was bloody, his ears, chest arms, fingers and there was bleeding from his mouth and the side of his face.

“Based on our assessment of seeing our brother like that, we knew that it was not a heart attack,” she added.

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The family were so shocked that they took photographs of the injuries. “We believe that Derrick was beaten up,” she added.

In the weeks and months before his death, Derrick’s family said they were becoming increasingly concerned about things Derrick was complaining about.

“On a number of occasions we have notified the centre of the things we have observed: constant telephone calls from individuals there that have been bullying Derrick, constantly begging Derrick for money, with Derrick constantly having to go to his bank to withdraw large sums of money and giving it to these individuals,” she told the programme.

“They were constantly calling Derrick and basically being quite forceful with him on the phone. He also had his door kicked down and the centre was aware of it and it was documented,” she told BCfm.

“When we went to the home on the day and asked for the log book, just to see the death and other incidents that were logged, they couldn’t find it. So it was clear that something suspicious was going on.

“He was very vulnerable and these individuals took advantage of that,” she added.

A spokeswoman for Avon and Somerset police initially said earlier this week: “We were called to reports of the sudden and unexplained death of a 51-year-old man at a property in Fishponds on Monday, March 20.

“The death is not being treated as suspicious and the case has now been referred to the coroner,” she added.

But after that broadcast, Avon and Somerset police said they would be taking a closer look at the circumstances around Mr Carr’s death.

“We have been made aware of concerns from the family in a case where a 51-year-old man died of natural causes at a property in Fishponds after suffering a heart attack,” a spokeswoman said.

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“As in all cases of this kind, where there is a sudden death, we will conduct enquiries on behalf of the coroner to ensure all relevant information is gathered in relation to the circumstances of the death.

“As part of our enquiries we will be looking at any potential safeguarding issues in order to address any concerns the family may have. We are in contact with the family to ensure that they are kept informed,” she added.

The boss of Maples, Simon Dickerson, said that because of the confidentiality of the nature of their work he was unable to comment to the Bristol Post about Derrick’s case.

Maples’ own website states the housing organisation provides high quality supported accommodation for adults aged 18 to 55 with moderate to severe mental health and learning disabilities in Bristol and South Gloucestershire.

“Our aim is to help our clients to develop practical living and social skills, and confidence, in a supportive and caring environment,” a statement said.

“We promote self-determination in order to prevent service users from becoming institutionalised and over-dependent. Our ultimate objective is to encourage and enable clients to move on and live completely independent lives in the community when they are ready and likely to succeed.

“We help all clients to develop their own person-centred support plans which have clearly stated objectives and outcomes and are regularly assessed and updated to ensure the support we provide is appropriate to their needs,” it added.

Mr Carr’s family told One Love Breakfast they are looking for answers. “Derrick was a kind, loving person. He would go that extra way for anyone,” said his sister Ann-Marie. “If you needed anything done, Derrick would always go out of his way. He was always smiling, and always took the time out to stop and talk to people give them a wave.

"He was loving and so very caring and thoughtful and close to the family. He used to love playing football,” she added.

“He was in supported housing because my mum and myself felt it was only nice to see if Derrick could start living in the community. He always lived with my mother and my father all his life, so I felt it would be nice for Derrick to branch off just to live in the community,” she said.